December 13, 2000
Robert Trigaux
Bank of America execs writing a new corporate script
No one would confuse Bank of America chief Hugh McColl Jr. with banker George Bailey, the Jimmy Stewart character in It's a Wonderful Life.
Top stories
Florida orange forecast declines
Dry weather will mean fewer boxes statewide, which could help growers yield better prices for their crop.
Risk of credit crunch materializes
But as some companies bemoan tightening restrictions on credit access, others question whether there is any tightening at all.
Business digest
ASK JEEVES TO FIRE 180: Ask Jeeves Inc., whose Web site lets users search the Internet by asking written questions, said it will fire about 180 employees, or 25 percent of its work force, to reduce operating costs. The Emeryville, Calif., company also will take a pretax restructuring charge of $10-million to $12-million in the current quarter, Ask Jeeves executives said. Ask Jeeves is cutting costs and reorganizing to save $45-million next year and achieve an operating profit in the fourth quarter of 2001.
Oldsmar ambitions a dud for founder
OLDSMAR -- Ransom Eli Olds, the man who started the Oldsmobile car company, also founded this town at the top of Tampa Bay.
